Market Perspective: Driving Connectivity in Germany

Germany is one of the world’s economic powers, yet surprisingly the nation has only 2.1 percent of Europe’s broadband fiber connections, among the lowest of any country, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (Source: OEDC, June 2017). Utility company Stadtwerke Neumünster (SWN) is righting this imbalance with an ambitious broadband expansion plan in Germany’s northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Back in 2016, SWN was awarded a contract for broadband expansion in rural areas in Schleswig-Holstein, connecting over 170 municipalities in an area of around 3,500 square kilometers.

To transport the region’s internet services across greater distances between rural homes and the city of Neumünster, SWN recognized the need for a powerful backbone network. SWN wanted to build a network that would not only address today’s requirements, but also meet increasing bandwidth demand over future years. SWN was also faced with the challenge of designing and implementing a network that would support triple play services over long distances across Schleswig-Holstein and to Hamburg.

Today, more than 30 percent of households in Schleswig-Holstein have the option of a high-performance fiber optic connection for internet, telephony and television, compared to the national average of seven percent.